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By NICK MARGIASSO
Published April 13, 2005
Vitals: At 1902 Ave. Republic De Cuba N. sits the concert venue and club, Orpheum -- no pre-emptive "The", please or local music writers will come beat you up; or probably not. Call before you head down -- (813) 248-9500 -- to ask about the enigmatic hours of operation that change quicker than the trendy band that many scenesters dress up as before coming. Normally, the bar's open Thursday through Saturday, and any combination of Monday Tuesday or Wednesday (usually depending on if there's a concert or not). Parking is, well, a pain in the butt. Try to sneak a spot by the Spaghetti Warehouse, or you'll have to garage it.
Rebirth of cool: There's so much coolness emanating from the spot you'll have to beat it off with a stick. That's only partly sarcastic, though, as Orpheum is half-filled with 20-somethings dressed like The Strokes and the cast of The Outsiders having a fashion show at an Urban Outfitters. The other half is made up of their peers who like to read Tom Robbins, listen to Pavement and make fun of the folks in the previous sentence.
X-man: If you think you might have seen Orpheum's regular bartender somewhere before, that's because you probably have -- in an X-Men comic. The cat looks just like Wolverine in a bleach blond phase. Not only does he pour a mean drink, but he's also been known to douse his (and your) finger in Bacardi 151, light it on fire and then pass the flame from person to person. He's just as dangerous without the metal claws.
The show that never ends: Orpheum features some of the best independent music, national or local, anywhere in the bay area. Promoter Jack Spatafora brings the best in the biz -- Centro-Matic, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Modest Mouse and a ton of other great bands -- making these signature "Spat" shows the place to be.
Special Saturday: The only thing that can top Monday's half-priced drinks all-around is Saturday's after show sink-or-swim, which beats the silk shirt and shell necklace off Orpheum's college kid-baiting competitors. For $8, you drink all the beer (including Stella, no, I'm not joking) and bottom shelf shots you want until 3 a.m. Yeah, you should probably walk home.
Go or no? One of Tampa's best bars dishes out drinks served by a pseudo superhero, a large slice of neon-lit indie atmosphere and the only reason to go to Ybor at night.
[Last modified April 13, 2005, 15:01:00]
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